DS Exclusive: Chicagoland Bands Return to Punk Rock Paradise 2…Plus a Preview of H.O.O.F.! (Blue Island, IL 8/17/24)

Located about 16 miles south Chicago’s Loop, Blue Island has been home to two separate punk rock music festivals that showcase some of the best local punk bands. Punk Rock Paradise 2 took place in August at Riverside Tap and of course Dying Scene was there for it! Dying Scene’s favorite ska band Bumsy and […]

Located about 16 miles south Chicago’s Loop, Blue Island has been home to two separate punk rock music festivals that showcase some of the best local punk bands. Punk Rock Paradise 2 took place in August at Riverside Tap and of course Dying Scene was there for it!



Dying Scene’s favorite ska band Bumsy and the Moochers in attendance…catch them at THE FEST 22!


Southside-Chicago’s Fighting for Scraps brought the rowdy crowd in true street punk fashion.


Torch the Hive is one of many bands I’ve heard so much about but never had the chance to see for myself. The hype is absolutely real, they did not disappoint!


The F.E.D.S. are a tribute band to all things punk rock. A torrential downpour of rain did not stop them from playing!


Horror pop punk? Yes, it’s a thing, and yes, Won’t Stay Dead SLAYS at it!


Last but not least, Sweetie kicked some ass, as usual.

Sweetie’s Birdy V. is the mastermind behind H.O.O.F. (Hands Off Our Fest), a music fest celebrating the women, femmes, and thems of the Chicago punk scene and beyond. Come back out to Blue Island, this time at the Blue Island Beer Co., to check out this sick lineup!



Be sure to follow all the bands and give them some love!

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DS Festival Gallery: Final Day of an Epic Riot Fest with THE CURE! Also Featuring AFI, Gorilla Biscuits, The Bronx & More! (Day Three, 9/17/23)

The third and final day of Riot Fest had a bit more rain and clouds but that seemed totally fitting for the main headliner of the day, The Cure, and Dying Scene has photos for you in case you missed it. We are also showcasing some other amazing bands, including AFI, Earth Crisis, The Bronx, […]

The third and final day of Riot Fest had a bit more rain and clouds but that seemed totally fitting for the main headliner of the day, The Cure, and Dying Scene has photos for you in case you missed it. We are also showcasing some other amazing bands, including AFI, Earth Crisis, The Bronx, Gorilla Biscuits and Fleshwater!


Fleshwater is an alternative post-hardcore band from Georgetown, Massachusetts. Anthony DiDio and Matt Wood are also members of hardcore group Vein.fm.


Straight-edge hardcore band Earth Crisis brought a blazing and intense performance.


The Bronx! If you are lucky enough to embark on Flogging Molly’s Salty Dog Cruise in November you’ll see them there!


Finishing off his three-peat performance weekend, Walter Schreifels and the Gorilla Biscuits had no shortage of energy!


I first saw AFI at Riot Fest 2013; ten years later they still put on one of the best shows. If you haven’t seen them live yet you are really missing out.


The Cure closed out the night with a mesmerizing concert to an emotional crowd of fans that waited for this moment all day.


Check out the full gallery below and revisit day one and day two!


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The Creepy Crawlies

DS Gallery: “Handsome” Hawk Valentine’s Labor Day Weekend Barbecue (9/3/23 – Alameda, CA)

Hawk Valentine has been promoting punk shows in the Bay Area since 1993. From ’93 to ’97 he was the head booker at legendary DIY venue 924 Gilman Street. Since 2010 he’s been booking independent shows as Handsome Hawk Valentine Presents. So, when on Labor Day weekend he hosted a vegan barbecue in his backyard […]

Hawk Valentine has been promoting punk shows in the Bay Area since 1993. From ’93 to ’97 he was the head booker at legendary DIY venue 924 Gilman Street. Since 2010 he’s been booking independent shows as Handsome Hawk Valentine Presents.

So, when on Labor Day weekend he hosted a vegan barbecue in his backyard in Alameda with an eclectic mix of bands, of course we had to come out, even with vegan food. So here’s a gallery of that fun afternoon with cowboy crooner Aaron Burnham of The Brushfires, Surf stalwarts Aloha Screwdriver, and up-and-coming horror-punks The Creepy Crawlies.

  • The Creepy Crawlies

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Dying Scene Photo Gallery: Nox Novacula, Black Cross Hotel, and The Feral Ghosts, The Burlington Bar, Chicago, Illinois (08/27/2023).

The Burlington Bar welcomed Nox Novacula and two Chicago bands, Black Cross Hotel and The Feral Ghosts, for a night of death rock, industrial, and darkwave bliss. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Nox Novacula brought their death rock style to the Windy City. This Pacific Northwestern gothic rock-n-roll band consists of vocalist Charlotte Blythe, bassist and […]

The Burlington Bar welcomed Nox Novacula and two Chicago bands, Black Cross Hotel and The Feral Ghosts, for a night of death rock, industrial, and darkwave bliss.


Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Nox Novacula brought their death rock style to the Windy City. This Pacific Northwestern gothic rock-n-roll band consists of vocalist Charlotte Blythe, bassist and keyboardist Dav Tafoya, guitarist Zu Leika, and drummer Ezra Bolotin. Check them out here.


Black Cross Hotel is a Chicago-based 80’s horror inspired post-punk industrial band featuring vocalist Dee DeEmme, guitarist Marcus Eliopulos, bassist Sanford Parker, drummer Mike Miczek, and keyboardist Andrew Ragin. Check them out here.


Also from Chicago, The Feral Ghosts is a dark post-punk psychedelic band. This dynamic trio consists of guitarist Alex, vocalist/bassist Annu, and drummer Lucy Boots. Check them out here.


Nox Novacula Photo Gallery below.


Black Cross Hotel Photo Gallery below.


The Feral Ghosts Photo Gallery below.

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DS News: Derek Grant to step away from Alkaline Trio

Boy, the hits just keep on coming this week. First there was the Social D tour cancellation/Mike Ness cancer treatment story, and now this… Longtime Alkaline Trio drummer Derek Grant announced yesterday via social media that his time behind the kit has come to a close. Here’s the full statement… The band followed with a […]

Boy, the hits just keep on coming this week. First there was the Social D tour cancellation/Mike Ness cancer treatment story, and now this…

Alkaline Trio

Longtime Alkaline Trio drummer Derek Grant announced yesterday via social media that his time behind the kit has come to a close. Here’s the full statement…

The band followed with a statement of their own:

In light of Derek’s decision to step down as a member of the band, we’d like to send our love and thanks for everything he contributed. It’s impossible to put into words all he’s done, but we are endlessly proud of what we have accomplished with one another.

The 46-year-old Grant was by far the Trio’s longest-running drummer, having joined the band after the departure of Mike Felumlee (Smoking Popes) back in 2001. He also released a really great solo record of his own, Breakdown, back in 2015.

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DS Band Spotlight: Houseghost continues making waves with sophomore album “Another Realm”

Dayton, Ohio’s Houseghost made waves in 2020 when Rad Girlfriend Records released their self-titled debut LP at the height of the pandemic. On their new album Another Realm, the band fronted by the brother-sister duo of Nick and Kayla Hamby delivers more lo-fi pop-punk with thematic horror punk lyrics. They call it “spooky punk”, and […]

Dayton, Ohio’s Houseghost made waves in 2020 when Rad Girlfriend Records released their self-titled debut LP at the height of the pandemic. On their new album Another Realm, the band fronted by the brother-sister duo of Nick and Kayla Hamby delivers more lo-fi pop-punk with thematic horror punk lyrics. They call it “spooky punk”, and I think that’s a fitting description.

The whole record is great (it probably would have been on my “Best of 2022” list if I hadn’t already made it lol). If I had to choose a few standout songs, I’d go with “Heart Up”, “Pretty Red”, “Nameless”, and the Lillingtons-esque “Night in the Woods”.

If these guys aren’t already on your radar, I highly recommend giving Another Realm a listen below. And if you’d like to support Houseghost, you can do so by grabbing a digital copy of the album here (I’d recommend picking it up on vinyl, but it’s sold out!).

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Dying Scene’s 2022 Halloween Punk Rock Playlist

Greetings, goblins and ghouls! πŸ‘» It’s Halloween and you know what that means: Your friends at Dying Scene have a super spooky playlist that’s sure to make your skin crawl! Whether you’re out trick or treating, or handing out toothbrushes to the neighborhood kids (don’t be that guy), this will make the perfect soundtrack to […]

Greetings, goblins and ghouls! πŸ‘» It’s Halloween and you know what that means: Your friends at Dying Scene have a super spooky playlist that’s sure to make your skin crawl! Whether you’re out trick or treating, or handing out toothbrushes to the neighborhood kids (don’t be that guy), this will make the perfect soundtrack to All Hallows’ Eve. It even has a song from Jerry Only’s critically acclaimed solo album Anti-Hero!

πŸ¦‡ Go on, give it a listen! Happy Halloween πŸŽƒ

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